Sebastian Bach: Forever Wild

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All Rise...

The last time Judge Bill Gibron visited Skid Row, he was wearing a threadbare Salvation Army overcoat and drinking Thunderbird from a paper sack.

The Charge

Here's one for all you rock-lovin' mothertruckers!

The Case

If there weren't already a David Lee Roth, Sebastian Bach would definitely be
in the running for clown prince of heavy metal. He's got the cock-rock moves
down pat, has a wickedly whip-smart way with words, and generates the same
genial, goofball vibe as the ex-Van Halen front man. He also has the same
tendency to get in Dutch with both his bandmates and the Establishment.

A fixture at the forefront of hard rock since his group, the near-seminal
Skid Row, broke out in 1989 with their MTV-favored self-titled debut album, Bach
has been surrounded by success, controversy, and disappointment. Many a prom
queen danced to the hit "I Remember You" while the cool dateless dudes
stayed at home and banged their head to the power-chord crunch of "Youth
Gone Wild" and "18 and Life" Charismatic and a little crazy
(well…okay…a lot crazy), it wasn't long before Bach was
following in the infamous felonious footsteps of other metal musicians like Axl
Rose and Ozzy Osbourne. After receiving a beer bottle to the head during a
concert, Bach haphazardly hurled the object back into the crowd, injuring a
female fan. A trial date and a conviction later, he was sentenced to three
years' probation. Then he made an abhorrent appearance on MTV wearing a T-shirt
proclaiming that "AIDS Kills F**S Dead!" and the hot water really
started to scald. Skid Row saw its sales decline, and the band soon parted ways
with Bach. After years outside the limelight, VH-1 brought Bach back to host a
TV show. It died after a few episodes. Now, we get a chance to see both sides of
Sebastian Bach as Eagle Vision has released Sebastian Bach: Forever Wild,
a combination live concert and clip compilation from his unfortunate stint as a
TV host.

Performing live in 1998 at the famed LA hotspot, the Whiskey
a-Go-Go—his first time there as a solo artist—Sebastian Bach fronts
a modest heavy metal combo in a rather intimate, personal setting (this is not
arena rock, folks). As the crowd sleepwalks and snoozes through the majority of
his electrifying performance, Bach and his band blow through a crazy set of
songs, including the following examples of rock and roll thunder:

• "Sleep": from the self-titled album by Last Hard Men
(2001). • "Slave to the Grind": from the Skid Row
album Slave to the Grind (1991) • "Piece of
Me": from the self-titled album by Skid Row (1989).
• "Frozen": from the Skid Row album Subhuman Race
(1995). • "Here I Am": from Skid Row.
• "Parasite": cover version of the Kiss song from their
album Hotter than Hell (1974). • "18 &
Life": from Skid Row. • "Blasphemer":
from Last Hard Men. • "Riot Act": from
Slave to the Grind. • "Sweet Little Sister":
from Skid Row. • "In a Darkened Room": from
Slave to the Grind. • "Monkey Business": from
Slave to the Grind. • "The Most Powerful Man in the
World": from Last Hard Men • "I Remember
You": from Skid Row. • "Eternal Life":
cover version of the Jeff Buckley song from his album Grace (1994).
• "Youth Gone Wild": from Skid Row.

As filler in-between set breaks—which appear to be opportunities for
Bach to make glam-slam costume changes—we are treated to some of the best
segments from his ill-fated TV show for VH-1, Forever Wild. We witness
the following musician-inspired mayhem:

You have to say this right up front: Sebastian Bach has one hell of a voice.
Full and rich, with just the right amount of heavy metal shred and shriek, it's
as vital an instrument as any other piece in his musically accomplished backup
band. Bach has a few trained quirks that you start to recognize after a while
(the way he grabs his mic with both hands and shifts his body to the right
before he lets out a trademark wail), but for the most part, he is just a
magnificent showman with a stellar set of chops. It's hard to understand why he
is not more appreciated for his vocal skill. Maybe it's the low profile he's
been keeping. Perhaps it's the past problems keeping him in legacy
check—he has been chided for his demented diva antics. Whatever the
reasons, Bach should be better thought of for his skills both as a singer and
front man. Unlike most hard rock artists, Bach is also open to new experiences
and experiments with his musical output. Sure, he is still married to heavy
metal mania, but he is not beyond a subtle acoustic ballad or a straight-ahead
blues romp. He's even starred on Broadway (in Jeykll and Hyde: the
Musical) and formed a strange experimental group called the Last Hard Men
with ex-members of the Breeders and Smashing Pumpkins.

Bach and his band are the best things about this DVD. He is a stellar
performer who infuses every moment onstage with energy and vitality. Too bad he
is playing to the living dead. The crowd could really care less that he is
performing for them, and they only come to life when their lemming-like minds
recognize such Skid Row singles as "18 & Life" or "I Remember
You." Bach tries everything in his bag of bravado tricks to get the
lackluster audience inspired, and aside from the few hair-flying metalheads
banging away, he can only motivate ennui. Otherwise, the musical elements of
Sebastian Bach: Forever Wild are magnificent. The compositions
reverberate with a kind of ballistic blasting-cap craziness that suits Bach's
screams perfectly. The instrumentation is stadium-rock ready, and the stage
dynamics are loose but not sloppy. Bach puts on a good show, and the reliance on
material from all aspects of his career (Skid Row to solo)—as well as a
couple of clever cover versions—really makes the Whiskey segments
soar.

The Forever Wild clips, on the other hand, are a little dumb. When
he's with a viable subject—like the always-enigmatic Motor City Madman,
the keen carnivore Ted Nugent—there is a fun kind of fanboy foolishness to
the segments. You really can tell when Bach hits it off with the focus of his
report. But there are other moments when it seems like Bach is involved in some
manner of mass media masturbation. The microphone lesson never comes to life,
and the potential excitement of a kung fu exhibition instead turns into a bad
overdubbing cliché-fest. Yet again, Bach nearly saves this material with
his wild, wooly wickedness. You can sense how hemmed in he is by VH-1's
standards and practices, and that if given a chance, he'd truly create something
as controversial and classic as said music channel's other experiment in front
man fury, John Lydon's Rotten Television.

Yet for all its unfulfilling aspects, for the lazy concertgoers and
middle-of-the-road rock show histrionics, Sebastian Bach: Forever Wild is
a wonderful look at an aging rocker who still wants to take the stage and sell
his soul for heavy metal mania. Thankfully, Eagle Vision gives this DVD the
proper red carpet treatment, meshing the concert footage with the TV material
flawlessly for an incredible 1.33:1 full screen image. While the Whiskey footage
is a tad grainy and foggy at times, it has to be because of the original
elements, not the remastered transfer. Equally impressive is the Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround that truly opens up the ambiance of the event to let us feel like
part of that lethargic crowd. With the excellent musicianship flowing out of the
multi-channel offering, this DVD sounds fantastic and really impresses with its
sonic reproduction. There is also a standard 2.0 version of the show that is not
as noteworthy.

As for bonuses, Eagle Vision provides a nice selection of deleted material,
behind-the-scenes footage, and a very interesting, novel approach to
discographies. Bach actually sits down and offers interview insights into
several of the songs featured in both his own and Skid Row's career. Hearing him
discussing the dynamics that went into certain songs is a truly engaging
experience. Also, anyone wanting to hear Bach in full Great White Way mode
should check out his in-concert rendition (from another show) of "This is
the Moment" from Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical. It's a magnificent
and moving performance. Along with additional Forever Wild segments and a
couple of true blooper moments, the added material here really fleshes out the
title.

But the main focus remains that crazy court jester of the power chord; that
riff-riding, randy jackrabbit named Sebastian Bach. While he is no longer a part
of what many consider to be one of the great bands of the '80s and '90s, he is
still able to hold his own against the aspiring poseurs who angst away the
amphitheater's attention with their self-indulgent drivel. Bach may be a fool,
but he is a wise one, and Forever Wild is a great reminder of his
presence and command as a musician and an individual.

Mr. Roth better watch out. There is a new challenger to the throne. And he's
no pretender.